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<refentry id="systemd-userdbd.service" conditional='ENABLE_USERDB'>

  <refentryinfo>
    <title>systemd-userdbd.service</title>
    <productname>systemd</productname>
  </refentryinfo>

  <refmeta>
    <refentrytitle>systemd-userdbd.service</refentrytitle>
    <manvolnum>8</manvolnum>
  </refmeta>

  <refnamediv>
    <refname>systemd-userdbd.service</refname>
    <refname>systemd-userdbd</refname>
    <refpurpose>JSON User/Group Record Query Multiplexer/NSS Compatibility</refpurpose>
  </refnamediv>

  <refsynopsisdiv>
    <para><filename>systemd-userdbd.service</filename></para>
    <para><filename>/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-userdbd</filename></para>
  </refsynopsisdiv>

  <refsect1>
    <title>Description</title>

    <para><command>systemd-userdbd</command> is a system service that multiplexes user/group lookups to all
    local services that provide JSON user/group record definitions to the system. In addition it synthesizes
    JSON user/group records from classic UNIX/glibc NSS user/group records in order to provide full backwards
    compatibility. It may also pick up statically defined JSON user/group records from drop-in files in
    <filename>/etc/userdb/</filename>, <filename>/run/userdb/</filename>,
    <filename>/run/host/userdb/</filename> and <filename>/use/lib/userdb/</filename>.</para>

    <para>Most of <command>systemd-userdbd</command>'s functionality is accessible through the
    <citerefentry><refentrytitle>userdbctl</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>
    command.</para>

    <para>The user and group records this service provides access to follow the <ulink
    url="https://systemd.io/USER_RECORD">JSON User Record</ulink> and <ulink
    url="https://systemd.io/GROUP_RECORD">JSON Group Record</ulink> definitions. This service implements the
    <ulink url="https://systemd.io/USER_GROUP_API">User/Group Record Lookup API via Varlink</ulink>, and
    multiplexes access other services implementing this API, too. It is thus both server and client of this
    API.</para>

    <para>This service provides three distinct <ulink url="https://varlink.org/">Varlink</ulink> services:
    <constant>io.systemd.Multiplexer</constant> provides a single, unified API for querying JSON user and
    group records. Internally it talks to all other user/group record services running on the system in
    parallel and forwards any information discovered. This simplifies clients substantially since they need
    to talk to a single service only instead of all of them in
    parallel. <constant>io.systemd.NameServiceSwitch</constant> provides compatibility with classic
    UNIX/glibc NSS user records, i.e. converts <type>struct passwd</type> and <type>struct group</type>
    records as acquired with APIs such as <citerefentry
    project='man-pages'><refentrytitle>getpwnam</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry> to
    JSON user/group records, thus hiding the differences between the services as much as
    possible. <constant>io.systemd.Dropin</constant> makes JSON user/group records from the aforementioned
    drop-in directories available.</para>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1>
    <title>See Also</title>
    <para>
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>nss-systemd</refentrytitle><manvolnum>8</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>userdbctl</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd-homed.service</refentrytitle><manvolnum>8</manvolnum></citerefentry>
    </para>
  </refsect1>
</refentry>
